Reversible rowboat sweep



July 28, 1964 F. A. RITTER REVERSIBLE ROWBOAT SWEEP 2 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed Aug. 9,' 1962 INVENTOR: FR E0 l7. RI'r'TER, Bv FILM/m ATTORNEYSJuly 1 3,142,286 REVERSIBLE ROWBOAT SWEEP Filed Aug. 9, 1962 2 Sheets- 2HTT EYS United States Patent 3,142,286 REVERSIBLE RUWBOAT SWEEP Fred A.Ritter, 9117 Meadovvhroolr, Overland 14, Mo. Filed Aug. 9, 1962, Ser.No. 215,912 8 Claims. (Cl. 115--30) This invention relates toimprovements in rowboat sweeps and in particular is concerned with arowboat sweep that has reversible paddles and which may be mounted upona universal joint connected to the boat to serve also as an oar lock toprovide for steering.

By means of this invention there has been provided a rowboat sweep whichcan be very simply mounted upon the transom of a boat through auniversal connection or oar lock. This provides for movement of thesweep in a vertical plane to be rotated about a horizontal axis. Thesweep can be oscillated back and forth about a horizontal axis with onedirection serving to propel the boat, while the reverse direction of thesweep stroke serves to retract the sweep to the opposite position. Thesweep has been specially designed through a double curved configurationsomewhat in the shape of a streamlined M in order that the lower portionof the sweep can be moved underneath the boat in a limiting position toincrease the length of the sweep stroke for fullest efficiency.

As another and very important feature of this invention, the sweep isconstructed with collapsible paddles which are hinged about a verticalaxis. The reversing of the sweep, so that in one position of anoperating push button the sweep can be propelled forwardly and inanother position it may be propelled rearwardly, is effected by a pairof keyed front and rear stop members which limit the position of thepaddles. This is effected by a control wire which is moved by the pushbutton and is connected to the stop members which are positioned 90 outof phase with one another. One of the stop members is positioned at thefront of the paddles and the other at the rear so that in one positionthe forward stop member can block the paddles in their spread position,while in another position the rear stop member when actuated serves as astop.

In the control operation, the sweep shaft, which is hollow, also servesto house the control wire and protect it. The entire unit is very simplyconstructed and can be connected to the boat transom through theuniversal connection or oar lock in a minimum of time by means of aspecially devised locking pin which also serves as a shaft about whichthe sweep shaft can be rotated. The construction is simple to operateand repair, should maintenance be required, and is rugged and durable.

The above features are objects of this invention and further objectswill appear in the detailed description below and will be otherwiseapparent to those skilled in the art.

For the purpose of illustration, there is shown in the accompanyingdrawings a preferred embodiment of this invention. It is to beunderstood that these drawings are for the purpose of illustration onlyand that the invention is not limited thereto.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a view in side elevation of the rowboat sweep attached tothe transom of a rowboat shown in cross section. The sweep is set forforward propulsion and the sweep is caused to propel in a clockwisedirection in this position;

FIGURE 2 is a view taken similarly to FIGURE 1 but showing the sweep atsubstantially the completion of its propelling stroke for effectingforward movement;

FIGURE 3 is another view taken similarly to FIGURE 1 but showing thesweep being retracted through the water in a counterclockwise direction;

FIGURE 4 is another view similar to FIGURE 1 but showing the sweepcontrol button operated to the reverse 3,142,286 Patented July 28, 1964position with the paddles collapsed at the completion of the retractioneffected by movement in the clockwise direction;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged front view taken on the line 5-5 of FIGURE 1showing the paddle structure set for forward movement;

FIGURE 6 is a view in section taken on the line 6-6 of FIGURE 5 showingthe paddle construction and the forward and rearward stop elementconstruction;

FIGURE 7 is another enlarged View of the paddle construction taken onthe line 77 of FIGURE 1 showing the rear of the paddle;

FIGURE 8 is a view in section taken on the line 8-8 of FIGURE 7 showingthe paddle mounting structure and the stop element positions upon thebottom of the sweep shaft;

FIGURE 9 is a view in section taken on the line 9-9 of FIGURE 7 showingan operating rod mounting structure for the stop elements;

FIGURE 10 is a front view of the paddles similar to FIGURE 5 but showingthe stop elements operated to a rearward position;

FIGURE 11 is a rear view of the paddles taken similarly to FIGURE 7 butshowing the stop elements likewise operated to a rear position;

FIGURE 12 is a sectional view similar to FIGURE 6 but showing theoperation of the paddle wheel and stop elements to a rearward position;

FIGURE 13 is a fragmentary view in side elevation showing the universalconnection of the sweep to a transom lock;

FIGURE 14 is a View in section on line 1414 at FIGURE 13 further showingthis construction and the use of a lock pin which also serves as aswivel shaft;

FIGURE 15 is a sectional view taken similarly to FIG- URE 14 but showingthe lock pin in the process of being withdrawn; and

FIGURE 16 is a fragmentary view in vertical section of the top of thesweep shaft showing the operating rod and the handle.

The reversible sweep of this invention is generally indicated by thereference numeral 20, as shown in FIGURE 1, attached to the transom 22of a boat 24. The main components of the sweep comprise a sweep shaft26, a handle 28, an operating button 30, for reversing the propulsiondirection, a universal mount or oar lock 32, paddles 34, and a forwardstop 36, and a rearward stop element 38.

The paddle structure is best shown in FIGURES 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11 and 12.As there shown, the paddles 34 are connected to the bottom of the sweepshaft by a pair of hinges 40. Each of the paddles has on its outerbottom edge a flare portion 42, which facilitates the opening of thepaddles from the collapsed position to the operated position as will befurther described.

The forward stop 36 and the rear stop 38 are designed to be in anoperative position when they are each turned to the horizontal position.They are situated with respect to one another at right angles, such thatwhen one is in a horizontal position and operative, the other is in avertical position and inoperative. The two stop members are keyed to astop shaft 44, which passes through the bottom of the sweep shaft asbest shown in FIGURE 6. To eifect the operative movement of the shafts,they are connected to a flexible rod 46, which, in turn, is connected tothe operating button 30 at the top of the sweep shaft. The flexible rod46 passes through a tubular guide 48 as best shown in FIGURE 11, whichis mounted at one end to a bracket 5% at the bottom of the shaft andfrom thence passes through the hollow sweep shaft, as shown in FIGURE16, to the push-pull operating button 30.

The structure of the hollow sweep shaft is best shown in FIGURES 1through 4. As there shown, it comprises a general configuration of whatmight be termed a pair of concave arcs connected together with the toparc being termed the handle section 52 and the bottom are being termedthe paddle and propulsion section 54. The bottom section 54 has afurther straight extension leg 56 to which the paddles are connected aspreviously described. Another way of describing the construction of thesweep shaft is that it has the general appearance of a streamlined orrounded M. Under either definition the mounting of the shaft at theuniversal joint 32 is intermediate the two sections to provide forgreatest sweep efficiency. It will be noted that the lower section 54 isparticularly designed so that the sweep may pass underneath the boat, asbest shown in FIGURES 1 and 3, to provide for the greatest length ofsweep and stroke efficiency by an operator. Likewise, the handle section52 is so designed for maximum efficiency of an operator positionedwithin the boat.

The particular means for mounting this sweep to the boat is through theuniversal connection 32, which is best shown in FIGURES 13, 14 and 15.This universal connection is provided through two opposed yokes whichare an upper yoke 60 and a lower yoke 62. The upper yoke 60 is open atthe top and is provided with a locking pin 64 of special construction,which serves both as a shaft and a lock. The bottom of the yoke 60 isconnected through a swivel 66 through the top of the yoke 62 so that thetwo yokes may pivot with respect to one another about a vertical axis onthe pivot 66. The sweep may likewise pivot about the horizontal axis ofthe lock 64 so that universal movement may be effected. The yoke 62 isadapted to be fastened to the transom wall of a boat through a transomlock screw 70 fitting in threaded relation through a threaded hole inthe yoke wall and attached to a screw plate 72, which can be brought uptight against the transom wall.

The lock pin 64 fits through any one of a plurality of openings 65 inthe sweep shaft 26 as best shown in FIG- URES 14 and 15. As there shown,it has a shaft portion 74, a handle portion 76, and a pivoted locksection 78. The lock section, as shown in FIGURE 14, is in the lockingposition, while in FIGURE 15 it is shown pivoted about a pivot pin 80 tobe brought in line with the shaft section 74 in which position it may bewithdrawn through the yoke 60. A chain 82 connects the lock pin to theyoke to prevent its loss.

Operation The reversible sweep of this invention is very simply attachedto a boat by merely fitting the yoke 62 over the top edge of the boattransom 22 and tightening the screw handle 79. Once this is effected,the sweep shaft may be attached to the universal joint 32 and the topyoke 60 by fitting the lock pin through the yoke and shaft openings inalignment insuring that the lock section 78 is in line with the lock pinshaft. Once the lock pin is inserted, the sweep is ready for use. Itwill be understood that this connection and disconnection can beeffected in a matter of seconds, making the unit very simple to installand remove.

For forward movement of the boat, the operating button is withdrawn tothe position shown in FIGURE 1. This withdraws the flexible rod 46 andcauses the rear stop member 38 to be moved to the vertical position asshown in FIGURES 1 and 7. Because the front stop member 36 is keyed tothe rear stop member 33 through the shaft 44, the front stop member iscorrespondingly turned to the horizontal position. This is because therelationship of the two stop members is maintained at 90 with respect toone another by means of the keyed shaft connecting the two.

With the forward stop member 36 operated to the horizontal position, thesweep is in a position to be operated. For forward propulsion, it ismoved in the clockwise direction as shown in FIGURE 1 from a positionjust underneath the bottom of the boat to a position where the paddlesare close to the surface of the water. In this movement the paddles opento a spread position and are stopped in their movement by the stopmember 36 as shown in FIGURE 1. In this operation the steering of theboat can also be effected by moving the sweep shaft about the verticalaxis of the universal connection, that is, about the vertical axis ofthe pivot 66. Thus, steering may be effected just as in an ordinarytiller, while, at the same time, effecting the forward movement throughthe paddle action.

In the sweep action it will further be noted that the bowed section 54of the sweep shaft is so constructed that the paddles can get thefullest sweep through the water. Thus, the bowed section is designed inorder that it may fit substantially around and underneath the transom asbest shown in FIGURE 3. This permits a long and effective sweep in eachstroke of the sweep.

The limiting action of the operating forward stroke is shown in FIGURE2. The return of the sweep through the water is then shown in FIGURE 3where it will be appreciated that the sweep is moved in acounterclockwise direction about the universal joint. In this return,the paddles 34 collapse and move together as shown in FIGURE 3, toprovide a minimum of water resistance as they pass through the water.FIGURE 6 shows the completion of the retraction of the paddles in thedotted line position of the paddles at the top of the figure where thepaddles are parallel to one another. In this position the flared tips 42insure that the paddles can be rapidly moved to the operative positionas the sweep is then moved to the operative stroke. Thus, the tips 42catch the water and cause the paddles to be rapidly spread apart to theposition of the paddles shown in full bodied lines in FIGURE 6 when theoperative stroke is again repeated by moving the sweep in the clockwisedirection shown in FIGURE 1.

The reverse operation of the sweep to effect movement of the boat in arearward direction is simply effected by closing or pushing in theoperating button 30. This position is shown in FIGURE 4. By this actionthe operating wire 46 will be moved downwardly and will cause the rearstop member 38 to move to the horizontal position shown in FIGURE 11.Because the forward stop member 36 is keyed to the shaft connecting thetwo stop members, it concomitantly moves to the vertical direction. Inthis position of the stop members, and as shown in FIGURE 4, theclockwise movement of the sweep through the water retracts the paddlesto the collapsed position. As the stroke reaches its limit shownsubstantially in FIGURE 4, the sweep is reversed. As the sweep isreversed, the paddles which are spread further apart in their reverseposition, so as to be slightly diverging, catch the water and are spreadapart to the position shown in FIGURE 12. Then the movement of the sweepin the counterclockwise direction causes the paddles to catch the wateras they are spread apart and the boat is moved rearwardly until thelimit of the sweep stroke is reached when the paddles are underneath theboat. The retracting stroke then is effected by moving the sweepclockwise and the paddles will collapse together as they are drawnthrough the water.

When the sweep is desired to be moved from the uni versal joint, whichalso acts as an oar lock, the locking pin 64 is removed. This iseffected by moving the lock element 78 from the position shown in FIGURE14 to the position shown in FIGURE 15 and then removing the pin from theopenings in the top yoke 66 and the sweep shaft. The pin is retainedthrough the action of the chain. Once this has been effected, the entiresweep can be bodily removed. The universal joint or oar lock can be kepton the boat transom, or, in turn, it may be removed by merely looseningthe screw handle 70 and withdrawing the unit from the boat transom.

Various changes and modifications may be to the structure of thisinvention as will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Suchchanges and modifications are within the scope and teaching of thisinvention as defined by the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:

1. A reversible boat sweep comprising a sweep shaft having a handle atone end and a pair of collapsible paddles hingedly mounted about avertical axis of the shaft at the other end, said paddles being movablethrough their hinged mounting about the vertical axis of said shaft,said sweep having means for mounting it upon the end of a boat and meansfor reversing the sweep propulsion comprising front and rear elongatedstop members rigidly connected to one another and alternately engageablewith the paddle members to determine the direction in which force willbe applied to the boat and means for engaging alternately the front andrear stop members in blocking relation with said paddles to limit theirmovement about said shaft, said means comprising a semi-rigid controlwire connected to the stop members at one end and a manually engageablecontrol button at the other end operable by a pushing and pulling actionto control the movement of said stop members.

2. A reversible boat sweep comprising a sweep shaft having a handle atone end and a pair of collapsible paddles hingedly mounted about avertical axis of the shaft at the other end, said paddles being movablethrough their hinged mounting about the vertical axis of said shaft,said sweep having means for mounting it upon the end of a boat, saidmeans comprising a universal connection, and means for reversing thesweep propulsion comprising front and rear elongated stop membersrigidly connected to one another and alternately engageable with thepaddle members to determine the direction in which force will be appliedto the boat and means for engaging alternately the front and rear stopmembers in blocking relation with said paddles to limit their movementabout said shaft, said means comprising a semirigid control wireconnected to the stop members at one end and a manually engageablecontrol button at the other end operable by a pushing and pulling actionto control the movement of said stop members.

3. A reversible boat sweep comprising a sweep shaft having a handle atone end and a pair of collapsible paddles hingedly mounted about avertical axis of the shaft at the other end, said paddles being movablethrough their hinged mounting about the vertical axis of said shaft,said sweep having means for mounting it upon the end of a boat, saidmeans comprising a universal connection consisting of a top yokepivotally connected to a bottom yoke, said top yoke having a horizontalshaft passing through it and the sweep shaft and said bottom yoke havingan adjustment screw whereby it may be connected to a transom wall of aboat, and means for reversing the sweep propulsion comprising front andrear elongated stop members rigidly connected to one another andalternately engageable with the paddle members to determine thedirection in which force will be applied to the boat and means forengaging alternately the front and rear stop members in blockingrelation with said paddles to limit their movement about said shaft,said means comprising a semi-rigid control wire connected to the stopmembers at one end and a manually engageable control button at the otherend operable by a pushing and pulling action to control the movement ofsaid stop members.

4. A reversible boat sweep comprising a sweep shaft having a handle atone end and a pair of collapsible paddles hingedly mounted about avertical axis of the shaft at the other end, said paddles being movablethrough their hinged mounting about the vertical axis of said shaft,said sweep having means for mounting it upon the end of a boat and meansfor reversing the sweep propulsion comprising front and rear elongatedstop members rigidly connected to one another and alternately engageablewith the paddle members to determine the direction in which force willbe applied to the boat and means for engaging alternately the front andrear stop members in blocking relation with said paddles to limit theirmovement about said shaft, said paddle members being hinged about avertical axis at the lower end of the sweep shaft and said stop membersbeing pivotally fastened to the sweep shaft out of phase with oneanother, said front stop member being mounted forwardly of thecollapsible paddle hinge and serving to block the forward collapsing ofthe paddles, and said rear stop member being mounted rearwardly of thecollapsible paddle hinge and serving to block the rearward collapsing ofthe paddles, said means comprising a semi-rigid control wire connectedto the stop members at one end and a manually engageable control buttonat the other end operable by a pushing and pulling action to control themovement of said stop members.

5. A reversible boat sweep comprising a sweep shaft having a handle atone end and a pair of collapsible paddles hingedly mounted about avertical axis of the shaft at the other end, said paddles being movablethrough their hinged mounting about the vertical axis of said shaft,said sweep having means for mounting it upon the end of a boat and meansfor reversing the sweep propulsion comprising front and rear elongatedstop members rigidly connected to one another and alternately engageablewith the paddle members to determine the direction in which force willbe applied to the boat and means for engaging alternately the front andrear stop members in blocking relation with said paddles to limit theirmovement about said shaft, said means comprising a semi-rigid controlwire connected to the stop members at one end and a manually engageablecontrol button at the other end operable by a pushing and pulling actionto control the movement of said stop members.

6. A reversible boat sweep comprising a sweep shaft having a handle atone end and a pair of collapsible paddles hingedly mounted about avertical axis of the shaft at the other end, said paddles being movablethrough their hinged mounting about the vertical axis of said shaft,said sweep having means for mounting it upon the end of a boat and meansfor reversing the sweep propulsion comprising front and rear elongatedstop members rigidly connected to one another and alternately engageablewith the paddle members to determine the direction in which force willbe applied to the boat, said paddle members being hinged about avertical axis at the lower end of the sweep shaft and said stop membersbeing pivotally fastened to the sweep shaft 90 out of phase with oneanother, said front stop member being mounted forwardly of thecollapsible paddle hinge and serving to block the forward collapsing ofthe paddles and said rear stop member being mounted rearwardly of thecollapsible paddle hinge and serving to block the rearward collapsing ofthe paddles, and means for operating the stop members to pivot them 90,said means comprising a semi-rigid control wire connected to the stopmembers at one end and a manually engageable control button at the otherend operable by a pushing and pulling action to control the movement ofsaid stop members.

7. A reversible boat sweep comprising a sweep shaft having a handle atone end and a pair of collapsible paddles hingedly mounted about avertical axis of the shaft at the other end, said paddles being movablethrough their hinged mounting about the vertical axis of said shaft,said sweep having means for mounting it upon the end of a boat and meansfor reversing the sweep propulsion comprising front and rear elongatedstop members rigidly connected to one another and alternately engageablewith the paddle members to determine the direction in which force willbe applied to the boat, said paddle members being hinged about avertical axis at the lower end of the sweep shaft and said stop membersa being pivotally fastened to the sweep shaft 90 out of phase with oneanother, said front stop member being mounted on the sweep shaft infront of the paddles and being rotatable to a non-blocking verticalposition and a paddle blocking horizontal position and said rear stopmember being mounted to the rear of the paddles and being rotatable to anon-blocking vertical position and a paddle blocking horizontalposition, and means for operating the stop members, said meanscomprising a semirigid control wire connected to the stop members at oneend and a manually engageable control button at the other end operableby a pushing and pulling action to control the movement of said stopmembers, said sweep shaft being hollow and said control wire passingtherethrough through a major portion of its length intermediate its endto be protected thereby.

8. A reversible boat sweep comprising a sweep shaft having a handle atone end and a pair of collapsible paddles hingedly mounted about avertical axis of the shaft at the other end, said paddles being movablethrough their hinged mounting about the vertical axis of said shaft,said sweep shaft having a lower concavely bowed portion, said bowedportion fitting around the boat transom and underneath the bottom of theboat, said sweep having means for mounting it upon the end of a boat, 2

said means comprising a universal connection connecting the sweep to atransom wall of a boat, and means for reversing the sweep propulsioncomprising front and rear elongated stop members rigidly connected toone another and alternately engageable with the paddle members todetermine the direction in which force will be applied to the boat, andmeans for engaging alternately the front and rear stop members inblocking relation with said paddles to limit their movement about saidshaft, said paddle members being hinged about a vertical axis at thelower end of the sweep shaft, said front stop member being mountedforwardly of the collapsible paddle hinge and serving to block theforward collapsing of the paddles and said rear stop member beingmounted rearwardly of the collapsible paddle hinge and serving to blockthe rearward collapsing of the paddles, and means for operating the stopmembers comprising a semi-rigid control wire connected at one end to oneof the stop members and to a manually engageable control button at theother end operable by a reversing action to control the movement of saidstop members.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 51,640Wilson Dec. 19, 1865 358,170 Smith Feb. 22, 1887 2,628,586 Hoffman Feb.17, 1953 2,808,802 Graham Oct. 3, 1957 2,826,164 Hutchinson Mar. 11,1958

1. A REVERSIBLE BOAT SWEEP COMPRISING A SWEEP SHAFT HAVING A HANDLE ATONE END AND A PAIR OF COLLAPSIBLE PADDLES HINGEDLY MOUNTED ABOUT AVERTICAL AXIS OF THE SHAFT AT THE OTHER END, SAID PADDLES BEING MOVABLETHROUGH THEIR HINGED MOUNTING ABOUT THE VERTICAL AXIS OF SAID SHAFT,SAID SWEEP HAVING MEANS FOR MOUNTING IT UPON THE END OF A BOAT AND MEANSFOR REVERSING THE SWEEP PROPULSION COMPRISING FRONT AND REAR ELONGATEDSTOP MEMBERS RIGIDLY CONNECTED TO ONE ANOTHER AND ALTERNATELY ENGAGEABLEWITH THE PADDLE MEMBERS TO DETERMINE THE DIRECTION IN WHICH FORCE WILLBE APPLIED TO THE BOAT AND MEANS FOR ENGAGING ALTERNATELY THE FRONT ANDREAR STOP MEMBERS IN BLOCKING RELATION WITH SAID PADDLES TO LIMIT THEIRMOVEMENT ABOUT SAID SHAFT, SAID MEANS COMPRISING A SEMI-RIGID CONTROLWIRE CONNECTED TO THE STOP MEMBERS AT ONE END AND MANUALLY ENGAGEABLECONTROL BUTTON AT THE OTHER END OPERABLE BY A PUSHING AND PULLING ACTIONTO CONTROL THE MOVEMENT OF SAID STOP MEMBERS.